Steve Scalise among House's most sharp-tongued, loyal Republicans

When it came to grading President Barack Obama's first year in office, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, didn't follow the lead of fellow Republicans who gave him C's, D's or incompletes."Professor" Scalise delivered an F.

Scott Threlkeld/The Times-PicayuneU.S. Rep. Steve Scalise addresses more than 500 people gathered for a September "tea party" rally in Covington.And when former Vice President Al Gore appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to speak about his work on global warming, which won him a Nobel Prize, Scalise didn't join in the cheering,

Scalise told Gore he found the science behind global warming to be suspect and said the former presidential candidate stood to gain financially if the United States adopted the cap and trade policies he advocates. A video of the verbal bout generated more than 16,000 hits on You Tube.

Scalise, first elected to Congress in a May 2008 special election, has emerged as one of the GOP's most full-throttled conservatives. His rhetoric is generally far sharper than his predecessors in the 1st Congressional District: Bobby Jindal, now Louisiana governor; David Vitter, the state's junior U.S. senator; and former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, now a lobbyist.

"I think I've always been a straight shooter who calls it like I see it," Scalise said during an interview in his House office, decorated with a Saints motif. "In this time in our country's history, when there's so much at stake and real concerns about the direction of our country, we got to fight because if the liberal Democratic leadership gets their way, I think they could destroy our country."

Pretty tough rhetoric, even in this highly charged partisan atmosphere.

But Scalise, who often delivers his caustic remarks with a smile, has cultivated some Democratic friends. Among them: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., arguably one of the House's most liberal members.

It's not that they haven't had their share of arguments.

A memorable one occurred last year when Scalise complained during a committee meeting that Democrats' legislation to curb greenhouse emissions could authorize a Gestapo to enter peoples' homes.

Waxman said he wished Scalise used another term instead of "Gestapo," suggesting it is inappropriate to liken a domestic political dispute to the Nazi government's brutal secret police force responsible for putting many Germans, particularly Jews, to their deaths.

Scalise approached Waxman soon thereafter, and apologized if his comments were hurtful. Waxman appreciated the overture.

"We have a disagreement on important issues, but I have a high regard for him," Waxman said. "He reads up on the issues, listens well, and I respect him."

Waxman and Scalise said they now have fairly regular conversations about their favorite topic -- the latest exploits of Scalise's two young children and Waxman's grandchildren.

Environmentalists aren't nearly as conciliatory.

"I'm sure his rhetoric on global warming is resonating with a segment of his constituency, which is why he continues to do it," said Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network. "But it does a disservice to our own efforts to restore our coast. He's basically telling the federal government to trust our experts who say with federal money we can restore our wetlands, but saying I don't trust your experts who say we also have to deal with global warming."

Scalise, 44, is one of the House's most loyal Republicans, voting with his party's majority 98 percent of the time in 2009. His interest in politics began as a student at Louisiana State University the 1980s, when he embraced the "inspirational" leadership of President Ronald Reagan.

At college, he combined his new-found interest in politics and his career goals in computer science -- becoming what he believed was the only LSU joint major in the two distinct curriculums.

When he first ran for the state Legislature, at age 29, Scalise said his views had solidified around the basic conservative philosophy of small government and low-taxes. In his 12-1/2 year tenure in the Louisiana Legislature, he championed conservative causes such as putting a stop to New Orleans' lawsuit against gun makers. He also scored a big legislative win when his proposal to lure movie makers to Louisiana with tax breaks passed.

Baton Rouge was an easy environment for bipartisan friendships, a process made easier by Scalise's computer skills, which were appreciated by his many technologically challenged colleagues.

It's not as easy to foster bipartisan relationships in Congress, Scalise said, and that's "not a good thing."

"Yes, I speak my mind, but I never make it personal," Scalise said.

As a junior Republican in a House now heavily controlled by the Democrats, Scalise hasn't had many legislative successes. He's introduced eight bills, none enacted, mostly hitting on conservative issues such as his "Sunset All Czars Act," alluding to GOP accusations, denied by the White House, that the president has made a disproportionate number of appointments of people given wide authority outside the Senate confirmation process.

Like many Republicans, Scalise hasn't held back in his criticism of Obama. After Republican Scott Brown scored an upset win in Massachusetts last month to take over the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, Scalise said it showed the "American people have had enough" of the administration's "radical agenda."

A week later, as Obama met with the House Republican members in a televised session, Scalise had a friendly exchange with the president, handing him his legislative proposals, including a plan to speed federal revenue sharing for coastal restoration.

"The president agreed that coastal erosion is a problem and said he would review my bills," Scalise said.

On health care reform, Scalise has been his most outspoken, referring often to the White House and congressional Democrats' plans as advocating government takeover of health care.

Yet one of his best friends in the House, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., is a leading proponent. The two became friendly on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where they sit next to each other in seats reserved for junior members.

"I wish more members were like him," Welch said. "He has very clear view of issues, he's a good speaker, and keeps his sense of humor."

Welch and Scalise talked about holding joint town-hall meetings in both of their districts so their constituents could get a taste for the arguments pro and con. But they couldn't work out a schedule.